Determinant

Yes, yes, je suis le Roi de Twi(a)t. Wrong again. The only consolation is that after 35 years of being wrong it does get easier after a while. Toodle pip.

Apologies - all my fault. I must try not to post when ver' ver' drunk. But that would leave so little time left. Post edited accordingly (but don't hold your breath)

OK Boss. I promise to keep my insults fully cloaked. Even when referred to as <ughh> 'Sparky' which - let's face facts - is not even nearly right. Now down to business. I have been invited to spot strike from an MMG fired from a vehicle that I was onboard, on a range, that was hitting the ground, ten metres or so from me and I missed it. There was no threat of me being under fire. I saw nothing. The phenomenon of TCs not spotting where their rounds have gone does not strike me as unrealistic. They're looking exclusively at the target after all (wouldn't you?). Probably through binoculars with a narrow field of view. Those boys will probably just be shouting 'Miss' and kicking their gunner in the head each time. All it takes is for the tank round to so much as graze the ground and it will probably go who knows where? I'm confess that I'm ex-infantry, and know nothing about tanks except that they're large and smelly. But I know for the British infantry with the new SA-80 rifle (optical sight 2 inches or so above the line of the barrel) that firing into the ground when you have a clear line of sight is not uncommon. So. Anectodal stuff out of period, and out of arm from me. But can you prove that TCs in contact trying to get the best hull-down position never hit or scraped the ground time after time? Bet you can't. So this then raises the real point: Anti-armour engagements. WW2. Eastern Front. Tanks engaging targets from hull-down positions. Any statistics? In the absence of any actual proof to the contrary I am perfectly comfortable believing that the Game models the usual cock-ups of tank gunnery perfectly realistically. Toodle Pip!

Ahh, Soviet Realism. Certainly the best splash screen that I have seen. And a fine essay on the chip-wagon too. Almost makes me want to do the Trans-Can on two wheels. But then it is a long way. Give you strength in your continuing efforts to beautify the game.

I've seen men make a surprising series of deplorable mess-ups under pressure. And that wasn't even when they thought that they were about to die. Did you never hear about the Musket picked up off Gettysburg field loaded over ten times and never actually fired? Try to put yourself into the environment that the game is attempting to model. But then, you're right, it must just be a bug. Twit. [ December 29, 2002, 04:18 AM: Message edited by: Determinant ]

Pah! And you don't think that this is a problem in real life? If you're troubled about ground strikes then drive up onto the crest-line and take a pop from there. If you must skulk hull down then you have to expect to do a bit of gardening from time to time. Hint: the top of the turret where the commander looks out from is higher than the gun. A commander's eye view may clear a crest but not necessarily the gunner's. It's a fine line between being snugly hull-down and being accidentally turret-down. We are talking a matter of inches for a round to clear the crest. If you think that this should be easier then you probably don't do much shooting... Toodle pip!

Just so. Both Hitler and Churchill were remarkable leaders. You don't get to where they got by being a run of the mill joe. Hitler's fundamental flaw was all a piece with his 'man of destiny' belief: he was a one man band. He believed that he knew best. But as Speer said of him he had an artist's temprement. He would solve problems 'intuitively' without going through all that clag of staff meetings and conferences. This suited him fine when he was undertaking small campaigns. But as is said above once he found himself running a real world war it became impossible. Churchill also did a lot of creative thinking: he nearly broke Brooke, his CGS, an extremely tough and realistic soldier, with his continual demands to launch some wildly impractical offensive scheme. But Churchill had a very good sense of history, and knew enough to listen to advice (or more often point blank refusals!). Something Hitler seldom troubled himself to do. The sad truth is that winning a modern war is like running a big business (and about as interesting - lots of dull meetings and planning groups). One man cannot do it. Churchill was man enough to understand this, but Hitler never did.

Thank God Brooke wasn't German I think...

Yes besides unifying Germany, turning it into a continental power. Allowing a country the size of texas to inflict pretty respectable casualties and bloody noses on much larger enemies. Infecting the Western armies with Prussian concepts and organisational thinking it has been pretty worthless and a footnote to history really..... Wasn't it the collapse of the Soviet Union in the face of NATO unity that unified Germany? Germans have been the most direct and immediate victims of their own offensive militarist doctrines. They used to be like those punchy little guys who keep picking fights in bars and ending up on their arses... Infecting Western Armies with Prussian concepts? Tee hee hee. Have you ever met any Western Armies? A staff college does not a kriegsacademie make. But most importantly: If all things Prussian are the acme of military achievement then how come I can't find Prussia on a map of Europe? Merry Christmas.

No pooh Sherlock? For a way of war it hasn't actually done them any real, practical good down the years has it? Well I suppose attracting all that Marshall Plan aid to rebuild their shattered nation was a bit of a coup. Just goes to show that you can insure anything provided you can pay the premiums.

You guys are good.

Amen to that! Weren't the IDF still using upgraded Shermans (105mm) in 1967? If longevity is any measure of design success then it's hats off to the Sherman; Centurion; T34; and T55. Build shermans and T34s in their thousands and you'll win a world war; build big cats in their hundreds and you'll hang at Nuremburg...

Indeed, isn't it friction that gives her carpet burns?

I have just DL'd and installed this low Res grass. This stuff is fantastic. Thank you Capt Wacky. I have a miserable low spec PIII. I could not safely run anything larger than medium scenarios. I have just managed to load up 'Prokhorovka Finale', and twirl around the map with doodads and trees turned on. The grid gives such a good indication of the ground. Capt Wacky you are plainly marked out for greatness. You have transformed my CMBB gaming experience. I should be happy to make a small contribution to your marketing budget but my wife has cut up my credit cards. Best Regards.

Gawd bless yur guv'nor - yur a proper gent and no mistakin'

Sounds absolutely just what I've been after for weeks now. Please could you tell me where it can be found? I'm finding the Onion's War link on Cap'n Wack's sig less than useful as a search tool.

One of the abiding themes in battle histories since the invention of smokeless powder (in British Army terms since the Boer Wars at the turn of the 19/20th centuries) is that of absolute and utter confusion in the attack. It is very difficult to identify targets on the battlefield. Even taking a proper look (picking your head up off the ground to take a look) is likely to get it shot off. Extreme FOW is the only way to go. It makes life extremely hard - but then it's just like real life. I laughed at John's stories - in British battle drills if the commander hasn't seen a target to give a fire control order onto he will bellow out to his troops: 'Has anyone seen the enemy?' Pause of two-three and everyone else will bellow back: 'Not Seen!' My top tip: shout the words to yourself as you play for that fully immersive effect.

Well thank you for the suggestion Michael. I was finally motivated to get off my lazy fat bottom and crack open the mysterious BMP folder. Goggles is at 5102. My opponents will notice that the performance of my troops will henceforth be even more groping and myopic than before. If such a thing is possible. While we're looking hard at the shifty untrusting faces of our men 5120 is going to find himself on report if he doesn't stand a little closer to the razor in the morning. Toodle Pip!

Fools! You are, as always blinded (note the heavy irony) by your modern assumptions. I am reminded of when in a previous life I was on exercise (NATO tm) in company with the US Army's 3/75th Rangers and British paratroopers (evil, bad men to be sure) laughed themselves silly at the goggly American special forces (more laughter) one in four (or so it seemed) of whom were wearing diving goggles which were in fact their issue spectacles. Poor fools. This was of course just pre-Mogadishu days. Didn't see any of those specs in the film 'Blackhawk Down' but I'm now badly off track. Has no-one watched LA Confidential? The LAPD detectives' department in the post war 50's avoided wearing glasses so it seems. I know, I know James Ellroy probably lies. But I find it very hard to believe that the Red Army in particular (a peasant army after all) issued glasses to its men and I'm betting that the uber-men of the brave new world of the Third Reich squinted a lot and put a brave face on things. Does nobody know the bmps for spectacles?

Now I do love CMBB. Really. I do. But one thing does niggle me just a little bit. This is the amount of people out there wearing spectacles. Nice graphic feature, but realistic - nope. Being a sad sort I have being scanning picture books (words scare me) on the Eastern Front. I have concluded that the amount of spectacle wearing represented in CMBB is grossly out of proportion to the historical reality. It's laughable really. It brings out the school bully in me. I keep asking my little e-guys: How did you make it to be a machine-gunner in the Red Army/tank commander in the Waffen SS with spectacles you four-eyed git? I do want the occasional monocles for Wehrmacht Battalion Commanders/wire rimless Trotsky jobs for the occasional commisar. But the present level of Jap sniperism is too much. Please can someone point out for me the offending bmps?

Are you guys the Ewoks in Star Wars? I thought that those Imperial Star Walkers really rocked until you guys showed 'em. Well done!

Who cares about the food - I bet the view was simply marvellous...

Catchphrases - that's what you need: 'Enfilade fire from a Defilade position.' Here's another goody: 'Good Sister Mary Expecting A Child' (Ground, Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration, Comms) But my all time favourite mnemonic has to be: 'Grid to Mag Add - Mag to Grid get rid' Toodle pip!

Hello EuroChums, I thought that some might be interested in the, commendably speedy, reply from CDV that I got to my speculative e-mail: Dear Sir, we'll also sell the english version of Combat Mission2 if it's finish in October. best regards, your CDV-Team The last five words there are the most interesting as I see it. Options would therefore seem to be: 1. Chill out as our stoical (mostly CMBB owning already) buddies advise; or 2. Learn German; or 3. Get a friend to send you the US version. I know which one spoke to me and all I can say is that there are some damn fine fellows in this community in the US. Thank God for the special relationship! Toodle pip!

Yes, well, the language of Goethe, Beethoven, Kant etc etc... But it's all down to your success at not being overrun by the Roman Empire! If only German was a romance language. Ever heard the story about simultaneous translation in the UN? Some German diplomat is making a speech in German. The simultaneous English translation stops. The diplomat keeps talking. Finally the exasperated translator can stand no more: 'The verb, get to the bloody verb' he growls into everyone's headphones. Splendid if true. But there's still a point there I think...